Vietnam is a substantial mover in the app economy with the fastest year-on-year growth in Google Play downloads, strongly driven by its gaming culture, according to a new report.

Released by California-based analyst firm App Annie, the report covers developments in the global app economy during the first quarter.

According to the report, games contributed half of the growth of Google Play downloads in Vietnam and users have a strong appetite for local game publishers, with ZingPlay ranking in the top 10 Google Play games in the first three months.

Three of the top 10 games by combining both Google Play and iOS App Store’ revenues in Vietnam during the first quarter were from local publishers.

High penetration of smartphone in Vietnam and other emerging markets such as India and Indonesia are particularly attractive to publishers and developers of mobile apps, but meeting the unique regional preferences is key, the report noted.